PaulB

Spent last week in the Bugs. No epics, no drama, just good weather and good climbing. Amazingly, we had the entire NE ridge of Bugaboo to ourselves on Wednesday. The only downside was the constant haze of smoke obscuring the views.

I have two bent shaft Prophets and a straight shaft as a third tool. I also use the straight shaft as a complement to my mountaineering axe on alpine routes, but I wouldn't hesitate to use one of the bents. For anything except steep WI, I use the BD Alaska picks. No complaints about the Prophets...they're tough and have a great feel to them. Should be able to find used ones for cheap.

Some classic "must do" routes: - Hawk 5.4 - Gelsa 5.4 - Horseman 5.5 - High Exposure 5.6 - Shockley's Ceiling 5.7 - Ken's Crack 5.7 - Laurel 5.7 The list is endless, and on weekends so are the line ups. It is possible to walk off all routes from the top of the cliff, and some are equipped for rappelling, but climbers coming up from below usually make walking off the better option. One more thing... watch out for copperhead snakes on sunny ledges. I once manteled up to find myself within striking distance of a couple.

That's a pretty good description of the Gunks...when in doubt, and things seem hopeless, just reach a little further and a nice jug will present itself. The best part about the Gunks is that the main cliffs are up above a valley, so once you get just one pitch off the ground, the exposure makes it feel like you are miles up. This makes even easy 5.4 climbs seem a lot more exciting. Compared to B.O.T.L, the rock at the Gunks is less textured. Not a lot of friction climbs to be found.

I bought a pair of Ferratas a month or so ago. I've used them on the approach to the Widowmaker Arete and on the North Ridge of Nesakwatch Spire, with no complaints. Comfortable when hiking, and felt good when climbing. Haven't tried them with crampons yet, but taking them to the Bugs in a few weeks. So far, I give them a .

One of the guys did notice some shale with a leaf imprint in it. We also found a rad pair of retro looking goggles that some extreme skiier dude must have lost.

Climbed the NW Couloir on Fissile yesterday. Snow conditions were excellent, despite having been rained on during the night. No rubble in the couloir yet, but at the point where it narrows (about half way up) it looks like it may soon be melted out. The summit ridge was snow free for the most part, but is a loose and dirty scramble. Descending down the west ridge was an exercise in scree surfing. Other than the fact that we didn't get any views from the summit due to low hanging clouds, it was a great climb. A couple of logistical notes for this area: - Riding up the Whistler Gondola and hiking across the Musical Bumps is more enjoyable than hiking up the Singing Pass trail. - Hiking down the Singing Pass trail is faster than going back across the Musical Bumps to the Gondola.

Did the North Ridge as a day trip yesterday, 10.5 hours round trip from the Slesse parking area. Pretty much as described in Alpine Select, mostly 3rd class, some 4th and a few moves of low 5th towards the top. Didn't do anything as hard as the 5.8 that other sources have mentioned, but there is certainly potential to make the route harder if you wanted. From the summit we had spectacular views of Slesse, Baker, Shuksan, the Cheam Range and countless other peaks. Highly recommended.

Anyone have a good technique for cutting accessory cord that doesn't result in a big lump of melted nylon on the end? Has anyone built a home version of the little electric device they have in the shops?

Fireworks

The Dragontail is the low version of the Ferrata, and is newmatic crampon compatible. The Vetta doesn't have the heel welt, and I suspect it is a bit softer than the Dragontail 5.10 has also brought back the Tennies, which everyone seemed to have a few years ago.

I'll second the vote for the Ferratas. Just bought a pair, and used them this weekend. Felt great while hiking and scrambled/climbed well on rock. I tend to think that most of the boots in this category are similar, its just a matter of finding something that fits your feet comfortably. I tried on Trangos, Freney Lites and Ferratas before going with the Ferratas.

Go to the Gunks..... it's very possible!

Here's my version for yesterday: 06:30 Get out of bed 07:45 Arrive at work 16:00 Leave work early (worked until 18:00 the day before) 16:30 Meet climbing partner and leave North Van 17:30 Arrive in Squamish 18:00 Leave Apron parking lot to climb Calculus Crack. We have to wait for party ahead of us at the bottom of first approach pitch, as well as the bottom and top of first real pitch. They are waiting for the group ahead of them. 21:30 Arrive on Broadway Ledge, descend trail in near darkness 22:00 Arrive at parking lot 23:15 Arrive at home 23:30 Eat supper 00:30 Go to bed.

Check out the latest in Big Wall Flip-Flops from A5. I hear John Middendorf loves 'em. Also available in pink for the ladies.

I have both Cobra and Alaska picks for my Black Prophets. I tend to use the Alaska picks for lower angle alpine stuff, where the reverse curve of the Cobra can be a bit annoying.

A friend of mine just got back from Logan. His team flew in the same day that Josephson was flying out, and they had a chance to talk to him. Apparently, the weather up there has been crap this year. JoJo and crew barely got out of their tents, let alone onto the South Face, before they called it off.

What crampons do you folks prefer to use with boots like the Trango S or the Tower GTX, which don't have a toe welt? My main concern is how secure the crampons will be when doing the occaisonal bit of frointpointing. Thanks.

As they say on the east coast when things are getting out of control..... "Damn, we're heading into the rhubarb now!"

They are designed for steep ice and mixed climbing. Since they have horizontal rails, they are also suitable for glacier slogging, but are stiffer than something like the Sabretooths. I have a pair of each, and the only real reason I got the Bionics is so that I can change the front points when they wear out. Otherwise, I'd use Sabretooths for just about everything.

I tried this, and found that the Intuition liners didn't fit very well in the Alpha's. The Alpha shells are very low volume, and the Intuition liners are much thicker (even after heating) than the standard liners. In the end, I didn't like way the combination felt.

Has anyone taken a look at Salomon's new leather double boots? Who'd a thought they'd ever come back?

This is how things looked on May 11.

As of last Sunday, the 'schrund was covered and you could go right up the middle of the NE face. Lots of snow, so it should be good for awhile. I'll have some pics back in the next few days, and will post one.

I've read they eat up AAA batteries pretty quick. The 12 hour battery life they quote is for when you're in some kind of "battery saver" mode. Otherwise, they sound like the cat's ass for a simple GPS.